Off-Grid Tours on the Humber River

TRIP DURATION

4 days, 3 nights

ACTIVITIES

Canoeing

Photography

Gardening

Cook ups

NUMBER OF PEOPLE

Maximum 8 people per group

PRICE

$995 per person

Self-guided tent rentals on request

DESCRIPTION

Open to anyone, this event is especially family friendly. It takes you off-grid, away from the electronic and digital tethers of your regular life and wraps you in a gentle wilderness experience.Adults return to their normal life ‘recharged’ and youngsters will have a ‘my-summer-vacation’ story they will treasure the rest of their lives.

For your days are consumed with leisurely paddling, exploration and relaxation, and always the welcome open-fire meals--wild meat and fish, and fresh farmed vegetables (supplemented by wild berries you gather round about). For amateur and professional photographers, there are sure to be ‘trophy’ moments—perhaps an obliging moose or caribou; a beaver repairing a dam, or leaping salmon, or a perched bald eagle. Wild flowers spangle the wetlands and the forests and the air and foliage shiver with songbirds.

For your four-day adventure, you really have two hosts: Ashley, of course, and the Humber River is the other. Ashley is with you from start to finish. First, she takes you to Riverside on the Upper Humber River where she lives year-round and lives off the bounty of the wilderness and operates a farm. Your campsite is in a nearby wooded area on the banks of the river. The only sounds you hear are the rippling of the river, the wind in the trees, songbirds and the occasional crow of one of Ashley’s roosters. Through each day she is there to lend her discerning eye to the events of the river and its forest surroundings. She will identify the animals, fish and birds, their role in the balance of the ecosystem and how they help her thrive in her wilderness home.

You will also learn about and commune with the Humber River. The Humber flows 120 kms from the eastern foothills of the Long Range Mountains to the Bay of Islands on the west coast. Among anglers, it is widely considered one of the world's best salmon rivers. The river’s ecosystem includes lowland boreal forests and the bogs and wetlands along that are habitat for numerous waterfowl and other wildlife, including moose, black bear and pine martin. But this is the stuff you learn from brochures and guidebooks. But with Ashley and remote from human activity, your will explore up and down river truly getting to know the Humber River. August month is when the Humber is most embracing. It will capture you. Sunshine, moonshine, morning mists, summer showers, thunderstorm—all are costumes for showing off. And in the peaceful nights, with a full belly, nothing will impede you and your family realizing your own connections with your river host.

Grid! What grid?

Trip Highlights

Far from the world of digital and mechanical dependence

Paddling the beautiful Humber River.

Scenic and wildlife photography opportunities

Peace and quiet of remote wilderness

Night skies unimpaired by urban light pollution

Traditional woodland meals cooked on open fires.

Dirty-hands vegetable harvest and introduction to growing your own.

Arrival

All events/tours start at Marble Inn Resort in Steady Brook. Explore NL is affiliated with Marble Inn Resort. However, our participants are free to make pre-tour/post-tour accommodation and travel arrangement as they choose. If you need assistance with ground transportation or accommodations, we would be pleased to assist.

What to bring

Clothing appropriate for canoeing, including rain gear, day pack and rubber boots.

Dinner/supper: the first Off-Grid meal--Salmon-on-a-Plank, followed by an evening campfire get-together.

Day 2

Breakfast: Coffee with eggs and bacon.

Paddle up the Humber River, taking in the wilderness environment and watching out for the animals that make the river their home. Keep your camera handy.

Lunch: a traditional Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner cooked on an open fire on a sandy beach. Ashley’s version of Jigg’s Dinner features moose meat together with the usual salt beef and locally grown vegetables.

Return paddle down-river to the camp site . A time to relax after a day of paddling and to continue your explorations of the area.

Supper/dinner: BBQ steak, boiled potatoes and diced carrots.

Then an outdoor fire under a sky that on clear nights reveals far too many stars for counting.

Day 3

Breakfast: homemade beans and toutons.

Paddle down-river past beaver houses and to more open stretches of the Humber. Along the way explore adjacent bogs and wetlands for wildlife photo opportunities—these places are home to geese, ducks, birds, moose, and caribou.

Return paddle to our campsite for a well-deserved rest and to share the highlights of the day to reflect on all things wild and natural.

Dinner/supper: fresh cod fish, potatoes, onion, scrunchins, and fresh-baked bread, followed by songs around the campfire.

Day 4

Breakfast: Coffee with eggs and bacon.

A visit to Ashley’s Riverside Farm and its vegetable gardens: carrots, potatoes, turnip, beet, lettuce, kale, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini to name a few. The resident goats, turkeys, and ducks like the attention of visitors. Youngsters, especially, enjoy getting their hands dirty and learning how to grow their own food.

Lunch: Moose soup with fresh vegetables from the farm. Then repacking of gear and belongings for departure. Return to Marble Inn Resort.

Please note: There is a people-friendly Husky dog present at the campsite.

Your new adventure with Explore Newfoundland awaits.

Explore Newfoundland with Marble Inn Resort is your one stop destination adventure resort. We offer adventure packages for the nature hiker, trophy salmon angler, winter sports enthusiast and nature photographer plus much more! Whether its whale watching, kayaking or iceberg chasing you’d like to do, we can offer you guided adventure tours at our base location on the banks of the majestic Humber River or in nearby scenic Western Newfoundland and Gros Morne National Park.